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Eade Named Resort’s Officer Of Year

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Corporal Dennis Eade this week was named as the 2010 recipient of the Ocean City Neighborhood Watch Association’s “Officer of the Year” award, emerging from a field of impressive nominees for the annual honor during an award banquet on Tuesday.

Eade was named the 15th recipient of the annual award handed out on Monday by the Neighborhood Watch Association, made up of eight communities in the resort including Caine Woods, Caine Woods II, Montego Bay, Little Salisbury, Bayshore Drive, Edgewater Avenue, Sundowner Park and the Boardwalk area, the latest addition to the group. The award was presented on Tuesday during the annual banquet at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, which was attended by nearly 100 guests.

“I am honored and humbled to receive such recognition from the residents of Ocean City,” said Eade at the ceremony. “Every day, I am motivated and inspired by my fellow officers of the Ocean City Police Department. I, along with my fellow nominees and the men and women of the Ocean City Police Department, will surely continue to dedicate ourselves 100 percent to the town of Ocean City and to public safety.”

Eade was named Officer of the Year by the association from an impressive field of nominees that also included Cpl. Frank Wrench, Pfc. Pam Russell, Dfc. Todd Speigle, Dfc. Jeffery Johns and Detective Joseph Molina. Last years winner was Officer-First Class Charles “Josh” Kelley. Detective-Corporal James Schwartz won the award in 2008, Corporal Brian Mongelli won in 2007, Lt. Scott Kirkpatrick won in 2006 and Officer First Class Freddie Howard took home the award in 2005.

After the ceremony at the convention center, Eade went with his wife to the Ocean City Mayor and Council meeting where OCPD Captain Kevin Kirstein introduced him to a standing ovation. Again, Eade thanked his fellow officers for their support in making the award possible.

“I am motivated every day I put on my uniform and go to work by my fellow officers at the Ocean City Police Department,” he said. “They’re the ones that keep me going and they have been an incredible source of support for me and my family throughout the years and I am very fortunate.”

Eade told the Mayor and Council and the audience assembled for the meeting he didn’t anticipate his career path landing in Ocean City.

“I am originally from upstate New York and I have to be honest here that I had no intentions of coming to Ocean City and working full time here for the rest of my career and the rest of my life,” he said. “Well, that changed in a hurry when I came down here as a seasonal officer in 1997 and I met the men and women of the Ocean City Police Department and the citizens of Ocean City.”

Eade began his law enforcement career with the OCPD as a seasonal officer for three years from 1997-1999. He became a full-time OCPD officer in 2000. He is one of the only Ocean City officers who has been assigned to every division in the department. In addition to being named “Officer of the Year,” Eade has six departmental commendations for outstanding police performance, three unit citations and a Chief’s commendation for pulling a drowning victim from the dangerous Ocean City Inlet waters.

Eade serves the OCPD in a number of capacities. He is a Maryland State Police and Corrections Training Commission certified police instructor. He is a Police Academy drill instructor and is one of the department’s defensive tactics instructors. Eade has also instructed full- and part-time officers in courtroom testimony, juvenile law, drug identification and advanced defensive tactics.

2 thoughts on “Eade Named Resort’s Officer Of Year”

Cpl. Dennis Eade has always been a pleasure to work with and around the past few years of my life as a Pubic Safety Aide for Ocean City Police Department. I have learned a lot from him whether it be communications on the radio, classroom instruction or watching the way he handles himself in various situations on the street. Cpl. Dennis Eade is definitely deserving of the award. Congratulations.

Cpl. Dennis Eade is one of the kindest, most intelligent, and caring people in this world. He must come from an excellent gene pool. The people of Ocean City recognize what kind of gem they have among them. By that, they are intuitive, aware and extremely blessed; it is obvious he feels that very same way about the people of Ocean City, Maryland. Congratulations to Corporal Eade for a job well done!